The Butterfly And The Flower
by AddictedT0Sleep
Summary: Choji gets bullied as a kid and develops a body image issue. His health suffers because of it. Can a certain flower girl snap him out of it and see the good in himself? InoCho pairing.


**Bold= Choji's inner thoughts**

Disclaimer: don't own anything from Naruto

The Butterfly And The Flower

It had started when he was seven. That was when the name calling started.

It was a blisteringly hot day. The air was not only warm, but muggy as well. Needless to say, it felt like an oven. Even shade provided little comfort to a person seeking refuge. It was around noon time. The sun seemed to just pound on all those unfortunate enough to be outside.

Coincidentally, this was also the first day of physical training for the first years of the shinobi academy. Those poor unfortunate souls were running around a track in the middle of the day. A chunin named Mizuki kept yelling at the students to speed up. Many of the out of shape kids were struggling to move their limbs, their pace barely faster than a walk.

"Come on, we don't have all day. You all will keep running until the slowest person does fifty laps", Mizuki yelled. Many of the kids cursed at this. Especially since the person in last by a large margin was _him._

Struggling to move his stubby legs, Choji moved at a snail's pace compared to everyone else. The tiny seven year old was sweating profusely in his blue shorts and green shirt. The green shirt used to be light colored but was stained dark from sweat.

Choji was breathing heavy, very heavy in fact. Those hearing him thought he was having an asthma attack. Choji's limbs felt like they were on fire, he had never exerted himself to this point in his life. The usually happy-go-lucky child was on the verge of tears.

Choji finally finished the lap that he was on. **twenty down, thirty to go** , he thought to himself. He had been running for an hour and the heat was taking its toll on him.

One kid ran past Choji, going at least three times faster than him. Choji heard him grumble as he passed by, "If only you weren't so fat, we'd be done by now."

Choji bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from crying. This endeavor failed as tears spilled profusely down his spiral cheeks. He was running and crying at the same time, making his horrible breathing even worse. No one even checked to see if he was alright, all too blind from their anger at him to realize there was a problem. So he just kept crying. And running.

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Choji was sitting in the classroom just after Iruka sensei had finished his lesson. The students were packing up their belongings to head home. All the while they were complaining about how sore they were. They had run an extra two hours because of Choji taking so long.

Choji was depressed, he had no intention of being a problem to his classmates. He was sad that he couldn't go faster, his clan had been training him every day but he was still hopelessly slow. Choji knew that he could only improve for next time.

Choji was snacking on potato chips to boost his mood when he noticed that he was alone in the classroom with three boys whose names he hadn't learned yet. The three of them walked up to Choji, sneers adorning their faces. Choji stopped eating his food.

The tallest boy stood in the center in front of Choji's desk. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and a face that couldn't be called anything but the typical face. On either side of him stood two boys that were slightly shorter than him. On his right stood the boy that had black hair and dark eyes, his most distinguishing feature was that he looked like he was constantly squinting. The last boy had brown hair and blue eyes. He was the most unique one because he had freckles on his face. All of them towered over Choji.

Choji gulped. In a nervous voice he introduced himself, "Hi guys, my name is Akimichi Choji. What's yours?"

His mother had taught him to always be polite and considerate. She said courtesy could bail someone out of a sticky situation.

The boy in the center gained a confused look. He put his hand to his ear and looked at his two lackeys, "I'm sorry can you say that again? I don't speak pig", his face grew back into a sinister grin.

His lackeys started laughing loudly at the young Akimichi. Choji flushed in embarrassment at the insult. The boy with the black hair looked like he had an epiphany, "So that's why he was slow, his piggy legs can't do anything right."

The boy with the freckles cackled in malicious glee, "You better find another piggy to marry. No girl would ever love you after all."

Choji shrunk in his seat, hot tears were threatening to spill. Somehow though, Choji managed to hold it in. His reactions however spurred more laughing.

"Um do you want my chips?", Choji asked nervously. He didn't know what to do in this situation and food solved everything in the young boy's mind. He offered the bag to the boy in the middle.

The boy smacked the bag out of his hand, spilling chip everywhere. He stomped on the chip closest to his foot, "Are you dumb? Then I would become a pig like you. Come on guys let's get out of here before we get turned into fatties like him."

They all turned to leave the classroom only for the tall boy to come back and grab a chip off the floor. He held it above Choji's head and crushed it, letting the crumbs fall on him. Then, he calmly walked out of the classroom with a victorious grin on his face, his lackeys following him like a mother duck.

After five minutes of waiting, Choji got up and stood in front of the only mirror in the classroom. He looked at his reflection through the tears that were spilling profusely. His legs and arms were short and stubby. His body looked incredibly round in the reflection. His cheeks with red spirals on them were too pudgy for his liking.

 **Ugly, just like a pig.**

 **They're right I am fat** , the young boy thought in resignation. At this "realization", Choji smashed his hand against the wall in anguish. The seven year old cried even harder, not at the pain, but at his own hopelessness.

That was the first time that Choji had ever had that thought, it was only the first of many occurrences in the future. Little did he know, a girl with platinum hair had seen the whole scene, and wept for him.

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Choji's bully walked up with his usual followers to Choji's desk. "I hear that Choji is so fat that it takes a boat ride and a two day walk to get on his good side", he said looking at his followers, who began to crack up.

Another one piped up, "No, I heard that he was so fat that he has more rolls than a bakery", this brought on more laughter.

The taller boy seemed to have another joke to add, "I heard that he was so fat, that he couldn't fit through even the Akimichi clan door."

By this point many in the class were laughing at Choji, especially those who came from normal families. All except for a boy with pineapple hair who was sleeping, a blond boy who was shunned from the rest of the class, a black haired boy who couldn't seem to care less, and a platinum haired girl who looked on the scene with a heavy frown.

"So piggy, got any more food for us?" the taller boy from earlier asked.

"Uhh… no", replied Choji, not making eye contact with the larger boy.

He grinned, "Don't make me be the big bad wolf and take care of the stupid piggy."

Choji shook his head, his eyes wide with fear, "I told you, I don't have any food."

The boy's grin went away and morphed into a snarl. He slammed his hands on the desk that Choji was sitting at, "Piggy, my patience is getting thin, about as thin as you are fat. You remember what happened last time don't you?"

Choji winced at the reminder of the beating he had received. It was during free study time and no teacher was in the classroom. A similar situation had happened. The boy snapped and began punching and kicking Choji. Nobody had dared to help for fear of angering the class bully. Choji was left with many bruises that he had to avoid explaining to his parents, and he still was left without his food.

Choji sighed in defeat and handed his bully all of his lunch. The boy walked back to his own desk grinning sadistically. This whole time blue eyes were staring at the scene unfold.

This was a regular occurrence in the month since the bullying had started. The tall boy had bullied him every day, sometimes with his lackeys and sometimes without. Choji was getting tired of it.

 **If only I wasn't so fat, this wouldn't happen**

Choji had this thought multiple times in the past month, and every time that it happened he had to excuse himself to the bathroom to sob bitterly. This time was no exception.

Choji went to the bathroom and locked himself in. Hot tears flowed down the boy's face. His stomach growled. He cursed his bully. He cursed his fate of being fat. But most of all, he cursed himself.

After no more than ten minutes of crying alone, he never allowed more than that, he left the bathroom and returned to class. Upon returning to the class, he found a sandwich on his desk.

On it was labeled: "For: Choji". It had a sticker of a purple flower on it.

He smiled. It was the first true smile in this month of bullying.

He looked up to see a blue eyed girl staring at him. Her platinum hair was mesmerizing to the young boy. The girl flashed a quick smile to Choji so that the bully couldn't see it.

Choji blushed profusely as a warmth filled his very core. Choji felt gratitude while he savored the gift he was given. He slowly ate the sandwich and mouthed a "thank you" to the girl, to which she nodded.

While eating, Choji tried to remember the girl's name, even after a month, Choji still did not know everyone's name. He was just bad at it. But he had to know her name. And then it hit him.

A pretty girl with platinum hair and blue eyes, the use of a flower sticker, the choice of purple, all lead

Choji to believe that this was the same girl his father had introduced him to a few months ago.

Her name was Ino.

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Choji sighed. It was the same process over and over again, it had become routine really. But that didn't make it hurt any less. The bully would come to his desk right before lunch just to steal his lunch. He would insult Choji brutally and then hit him a few times. By this time, Choji would usually give in after some futile resistance and give his lunch to his bully. Choji would then cry in the bathroom alone and return to the classroom after no more than ten minutes. Sometimes a snack would be left for him when he got back and sometimes there wouldn't be. But no matter what there would always be a flower sticker left on his desk.

In the two months since she started helping him, Choji had not talked to Ino even once.

 **Why in the world should a fat person like me talk to a pretty girl like her? I'm just an eyesore. I would infect her with my lameness by just standing next to her. I'm sure she's just taking pity anyway. But I don't deserve her help, not a pig like me,** Choji would always think to himself, always talking himself out of having a conversation with her.

So here was another routine day. Get bullied, cry alone, repeat. Except it wasn't.

It started normally, the bully was pestering him, "Hey pig, give me your food. Don't you know that animals don't get real people food?"

"I'm not a pig though", Choji replied weakly.

"If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. I. Don't. Speak. Pig. Language." He said, accenting each word with a forceful poke into Choji's chest. "So just shut up and give me your food."

The bully was standing over top of Choji's desk. He was in Choji's face, practically yelling. The young Akimichi seemed to shrink under the intensity of his bully.

"But I can't", Choji said weakly.

"Oh you can and you will", the bully said in his most threatening tone.

"But I really can't."

"This is why no one will ever love you Choji. You are fat, ugly, annoying, wimpy, and stupid. I wouldn't be surprised if you died alone", he spat venomously. His temper broke and he raised his fist to strike the smaller boy.

Choji sat cowering in fear and self-loathing. He couldn't deny any of what the boy had said. It was all true and probably accurate. In Choji's mind he _was_ fat, Choji was reminded of that fact every time he looked in the mirror. He _was_ ugly, probably the most unattractive in the class. He _was_ annoying, he had been a nuisance to everyone in all of the physical training lessons. He _was_ wimpy, he couldn't even stand up to one bully. And he _was_ stupid, he couldn't even come up with a comeback to any of the insults thrown at him.

Choji closed his eyes in fear of the punch about to assail him. He was expecting to feel pain, but instead felt nothing. He opened his to see the kid that usually sleeps in the desk next to him, holding the bully's fist. Choji had been introduced to the boy before but had never talked to him, despite their families' close bond. It was Shikamaru.

Shikamaru, who was usually asleep, was most definitely awake. His eyes burned with a cold rage that Choji had never seen in the lazy student. He looked about ready to kill the bully.

Shikamaru tightened his grip on the bully, making him squirm. Then he began to talk in a calm, quiet voice that scared the piss out of everyone that heard.

"This is troublesome. Fighting is troublesome. Effort is troublesome. But do you know what is the most troublesome?" Shikamaru paused after asking the rhetorical question, only to answer it before he was interrupted. "Bullying is the most troublesome, because it causes deep pain that is way too troublesome to fix. I have been putting up with your crap because I was expecting someone to stand up for him. That was a miscalculation on my part, and Choji for that I'm sorry. And you," he said glaring at the bully, "are a sorry excuse for a human being. You are throwing your weight around acting like you're all that. But you're not. You are only one small boy, and I swear to you and anyone who even thinks of disrespecting Choji again: You will face the combined wrath of the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans and we will end you."

Shikamaru finally let go of the bully's fist and walked out of the class to go take a nap under some tree. Putting idiots in their place was a very troublesome task after all.

The class was stunned, someone had finally stood up to him. And it was Shikamaru of all people. It was the last person anyone would expect to take the effort.

Choji started crying from the happiness that someone stood up for him to stop the bully. **Although,** noticed Choji **, Shikamaru never once disputed the fact that I'm fat or would end up alone. But I guess it's hard to dispute something that's so obviously true.**

Choji decided that he would try to befriend Shikamaru **. Maybe he will be willing to be friends with a pig** , Choji thought. With that thought Choji got up to go find Shikamaru to talk to him.

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Choji , Shikamaru and Ino were walking silently down the business street of central Konoha after a D-rank mission. All three of them didn't usually hang out together but Asuma sensei suggested that they start getting to know each other for the sake of teamwork. It had been a few weeks since their genin teams were announced so they were trying to get the team to mesh. Which wasn't working well so far, since Choji was silent and sneaking glances at Ino, Shikamaru was staring at the clouds, and Ino was gawking at all the fashion accessories at the stores.

Choji walked in silence with a frown on his face. It had been weeks since they had been assigned to the same team and yet has not had an actual conversation with Ino. In fact, Choji has never even said a word to the girl who would help him when he was bullied. He always talked himself out of it before he could do it, always saying that a pig didn't deserve to speak to a princess.

Ever since Shikamaru had stood up to the bully all those years ago no one dared to even think about messing with Choji. Well that isn't true. There was one vicious bully that berated Choji all the time, but Shikamaru couldn't do anything about that. It's hard to know when someone is their own bully like Choji was.

And Choji would never dare tell his best friend half of the things that he thinks to himself. He doesn't want Shikamaru to worry about him. He wasn't worth it.

Ino was staring at a dress in one of the shop's windows, Choji noticed this because he may or may not have been watching her.

She broke the silence by voicing her thoughts on the dress, "That dress would definitely look so fabulous that Sasuke-kun would fall in love instantly."

Choji frowned even more at the mention of Sasuke, his thoughts darkening **. I could never compete with someone that actually looks attractive. Not like I had a chance anyway.**

Shikamaru winced at the mention of the Uchiha heir. He knew that Choji had a crush on Ino and that a reminder of her infatuation with someone else would hurt.

"But I would have to lose some weight first, I'm unattractive as I am now", she said softly to herself, not remembering the presence of her two companions.

 **But you're not. You're beautiful and I can't take my eyes off of you. Besides, you're still growing and need all the food you can get.** Choji looked down at himself. **I, on the other hand, am an eyesore and need to lose a lot of weight to even get close to looking remotely normal.**

Choji didn't see the major disconnect in the way he thought of others versus the way he thought of himself.

"Let's see, I could try the five bite diet." **I tried that, it didn't work.**

"Or maybe the alkaline diet." **I actually gained weight on that one.**

"I think I'll go with the classic grapefruit diet", she decided. **Tried that one too, it was another failure. I think at this point, I should just go with eating very little.**

"B-but Ino-chan I don't think you need to diet, you're p-pretty as you are", Choji said nervously, making sure to not look at her.

Ino jumped up in realization that she was caught talking to herself. She had a slight blush to her face, whether from the compliment or realizing that she was talking to herself, she didn't know. Not that Choji knew of course, he was still looking at the ground. Shikamaru just shrugged not caring about the awkward teenage drama that was happening around him.

They decided to continue walking, Ino sneaking glances at the dress from earlier, and Choji sneaking glances at her.

As they passed a BBQ place, all three of their stomach's growled loudly. "I'm hungry, we should go eat", suggested Shikamaru, who proceeded to yawn.

"Yeah, I guess we should, it's what Asuma sensei would want us to do", agreed Ino, "I can just start on my diet tomorrow anyway."

Ino and Shikamaru started to walk into the restaurant and paused in the entrance. They looked back and saw Choji still standing in the middle of the street fidgeting.

"What's the matter Choji? Aren't you gonna eat with us?" Ino asked, trying not to let hurt creep into her voice.

"Um… I'm… uh…not hungry and I gotta go, so bye", Choji said running off.

Shikamaru raised his eyebrow at the obvious lie and his odd behavior. "Troublesome", he muttered to himself while shaking his head.

 **Of course I would love to eat BBQ with my best friend and the girl I like. But, I swore BBQ off months ago because it would make me look even more like a freak. Besides pigs don't deserve to like a girl let alone eat with them. I'm too much of an eyesore.**

Choji thought this, while sitting in an alley two blocks from the BBQ place. He had hid to where no one could see him so that he could cry and curse his pitiful self. After no more than ten minutes, Choji got up and wiped his eyes. He stepped out in to the street and put on his happy façade as he headed home.

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A Flash was bursting at breakneck speeds through the streets of Konoha. Papers were flying from the wind created, hair was being blown, and chaos ensued because of this flash. No, it was not the Yellow flash. It was more of a round flash, although its speeds seemed to rival that of the legendary jutsu.

The round flash finally slowed down to a stop in front of the Akimichi house in the center of the Akimichi clan compound. It was revealed to be a young teen who couldn't be described as fat, but maybe stocky. But, the young teen that was usually full of life was not looking like himself at that moment. His cheeks were sunken and he was incredibly pale. He was breathing heavy, bent over with his hands on knees. Despite the speed at which he ran earlier, his movements were lethargic and sloppy.

After recovering many minutes later, Choji opened the door to his house and stepped inside. He walked past the kitchen and noticed his mother working to make dinner. She looked up and her face lit up at the sight of her only son.

"Welcome back dear, how was training?" his mother asked cheerfully.

"Fine, I guess", Choji said with a slight smile.

"I'm about to finish dinner, I made all of your favorites tonight so get ready to chow down", his mother said with a proud look on her face.

Choji shook his head, "No mom, I'm not hungry, so I'll just take a shower and go to sleep, thank you though", he said with a ghost of a smile.

His mother looked shocked. But, before she could ask about it, her son went upstairs, leaving Choji's mom alone with a raised eyebrow.

As Choji went upstairs, he noticed it was a lot harder to climb the steps as usual. His vision was getting blurry and the stairs were starting to blend together. Through a miracle, Choji managed to get up the stairs and into the bathroom.

He started taking off his sweaty clothes inside of his small bathroom. It was a simple white walled bathroom with a toilet, a shower, a sink and mirror, and a scale. The only color in the room was the butterfly shower curtains. He had always loved those curtains, it made him feel like one day he would go from being an ugly caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly.

And he couldn't wait to become a butterfly, then a certain flower girl might notice him. But, in order for that to happen, this had to work. He had put himself on a strict diet and would eat very little through just sheer willpower.

He looked into the mirror and had the same thoughts as always for the past few years.

 **Fat.**

 **Pig.**

 **Eyesore.**

 **No one will love you like this.**

 **But I will change myself.**

Now that last thought was new, and it made him optimistic at what he could become.

Choji went to the bathroom to get rid of as much water weight as possible. After this,he nervously stepped on the scale. He closed his eyes, scared of what it would be. He had not stepped on the scale in the past week and was incredibly nervous to see whether his hard work was in vain or not. He opened his eyes to see the number on the scale.

His face lit up. He had lost six pounds in the past week!

He grinned from ear to ear, and proceeded to take his shower.

He was too happy to notice that his reflection was pale and sunken. Too happy to notice that he felt incredibly weak. Too happy to notice that his vision was fuzzy at best. Too happy to notice that losing six pounds in a week was incredibly unhealthy.

No. All he cared about was that no one would see him as an eyesore anymore. And if he had to go through hell to do it, then by God he would.

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Shikamaru was running thousands of simulations through his head as he watched his teammates stall his sensei. They were having a three on one spar against their sensei and it was going incredibly poorly. The only chance, the three had decided, was to stall and let Shikamaru come up with a miracle plan.

Choji was engaged in close combat while Ino stayed far away and launched kunai when there was an opening. It started out going well. Choji was great at close combat with his expert use of grappling techniques and was holding his own against the much more experienced Asuma. Every time that Choji was put on his back foot in the fight, Ino would have an expertly placed throw stopping Asuma from pressing his advantage.

Ino had gotten a lot better since her tie in the Chunin exams. She was determined to take being a kunoichi seriously. Shikamaru admired how far she had come in the past few weeks. It made making his plans so much easier.

'Although it's far too troublesome to work that hard', Shikamaru thought.

Crap hit the fan however, five minutes into the fight. Choji's movements were getting incredibly sluggish and sloppy. Asuma looked on in disappointment as his pupil's defenses were rapidly getting broken through.

Shikamaru cursed and Ino looked on in panic. Choji's stamina, which once was second only to Naruto's, was reduced to that of an academy student first year in the past few weeks. It not only made Shikamaru's job of making a plan more difficult, but it also made the boy worry.

Shikamaru had just came up with a long shot plan and made the signal to regroup and explain the plan. Ino nodded and retreated back to Shikamaru's side. Choji had trouble getting away from his sensei who wasn't making it easy to get away. With a sudden burst of speed, Choji jumped away from his sensei.

Choji started running back towards Shikamaru and Ino and looked at his favorite people. A ghostly smile lit up his face, then suddenly all consciousness left him and he collapsed. Choji lay on the ground like a broken rag doll.

Time seemed to be frozen for the three ninjas immediately following Choji's collapse. Choji remained on the ground, while Ino and Shikamaru looked on in horror.

Asuma unfroze the scene by cursing loudly, and jumping to action.

"Shikamaru, Ino, stay here with him, I'll go get help."

Asuma flashed away to get some medic ninjas knowing that it was not good to move an unconscious person if you weren't medically trained.

Ino ran up to Choji's side with tears in her eyes. She sobbed into his chest. Shikamaru looked in the direction of where their sensei left and put his arm on her shoulder for support.

They had just seen their best friend collapse in front of their eyes.

And they couldn't do a damn thing about it.

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Choji woke up groggily to the sight of a white ceiling and the smell of disinfectants and chemicals in the air, wondering where he was. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, he had always disliked this smell as it brought back memories of seeing his dad in a hospital from getting injured on a mission.

A hospital! That's where he was.

He moved his head to look around and saw he was indeed in a hospital room. Choji was lying on the bed covered by a hospital gown. Several machines were next to Choji's bed that gave information on his conditions. He was hooked up to an IV that constantly dripped a clear substance into his veins. He looked to his right to see a person in a chair. It was Shikamaru with a clearly displeased look on his face.

And then the events of the past few weeks came back to him. All the dieting and exercising that left him feeling exhausted. All the excuses he made to his friends and family. And finally, his collapsing in front of his teammates.

 **Now they're going to get rid of me. Not only was I an eyesore, but now I'm a liability too.**

Choji sighed, feeling as if everything was ruined. And then, he looked into Shikamaru's eyes. He had never been this scared of Shikamaru since the time that he had stood up to the bully. In Shikamaru's eyes contained a cold fury that was uncharacteristic of the lazy boy.

 **He must be mad at me for screwing up.**

This must be what they meant when they said that demons flee when a good man goes to war. The fury of a normally relaxed person was nothing to be trifled with. Choji squirmed under his gaze, wanting nothing more than to be out of the room that instant.

Shikamaru broke the silence, "What were you thinking?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" Choji asked, hoping that Shikamaru still didn't know about his eating habits.

Shikamaru's eyes flashed, Choji seemed to shrink even more. Then, much to Choji's relief he contained his anger. "Choji, you know what I'm talking about. Now, please just explain to me exactly what you were thinking before this gets even more damn troublesome."

Choji opened his mouth and closed it again.

 **Should I tell him? Would he really care? I mean, I know he's an awesome friend but not even the most gracious people would empathize with a pig like me. He'll probably just think I'm troublesome and then leave me alone. Not that I would blame him. But I don't want him to get any madder so I guess I'll tell him.**

Choji sighed and relented, "I was going on a diet and I guess I got a little bit ambitious", Choji said with an awkward chuckle.

"Ambitious?! The doctors said you had lost thirty pounds since your last check up four and a half weeks ago! They said you probably had less than twelve hundred calories a day. Choji, I did the math for someone your age, size, and the amount of intense exercise you do, your body needs at least five thousand calories a day! What was going on in your mind?" Shikamaru exploded, leaving Choji to grow smaller and smaller with each word.

"I needed to go on a diet", Choji said sheepishly.

"And why do you think that?"

 **Really? You should know why I need to do that. Anyone with eyes could tell that I need to lose weight.**

Choji mumbled something that Shikamaru couldn't hear.

"Please say that again but louder", requested Shikamaru.

"I said that I'm an eyesore and a pig, and no one will love a pig, of course I need to diet", Choji said surprising both individuals in the room. Choji, because he realized that this was the first time that he was saying his true thoughts out loud. Shikamaru, because he didn't know that his usually caring friend thought so poorly of himself.

Shikamaru's eyes widened, and his angry expression was quick transformed into a much softer one. "That bully really did a number on you didn't he?"

 **What? He only pointed out the truth to me.**

Choji remained silent and Shikamaru just rubbed his eyes from annoyance and fatigue. Choji had taken a day to wake up after all, and Shikamaru couldn't get a wink of sleep.

"So troublesome", Shikamaru said, using his catch phrase as if it was a curse word.

 **I knew it, he would find me troublesome and leave me like any normal person would do.**

Choji winced at the thought of a life without his best friend.

"Choji, do you mind if I ask another question?"

Choji nodded in resignation at the fact that his friend would get his way in this matter.

"Do you think I'm a shallow person?"

Choji shook his head emphatically. His friend was the best friend in the world and he knew that Shikamaru saw people for who they were.

"Good. Then believe me when I tell you I don't give a crap about what you look like. But, you honestly aren't fat, you're more muscle than anything else. But more importantly it's who you are that matters. I've been watching you for years and know that you are the kindest person I know. You had the ability to destroy your bully in a fight and yet you didn't want to hurt him. You always see the best in others but you never seem to see it in yourself. Choji, you're a beautiful person where it matters, which is on the inside. And let's just say that you are as ugly as you say that you are, then any one that shuns you for that is not worth your time. They would be beneath you. And I'll beat up anyone that thinks otherwise. You included", Shikamaru added with a pointed look.

Choji had his eyes wide open. He felt like he had the fear of God placed in him. He didn't believe all of the words that Shikamaru said, but didn't want to disagree for fear of receiving the beat down that Shikamaru threatened.

Shikamaru shook his head and stood up. He was leaving the room but as he got in the doorway he turned around, "I know you don't believe me yet, but you have people that care about the real you and you shouldn't forget that."

He was about to leave when he grinned, "And Ino, you can stop listening in and just say what you want to say."

He finally left the room and Ino came in from just outside the door with a tentative smile because she had been caught.

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The silence in the room between the two teens was overpowering. After being brought out of hiding, Ino entered the room and stood next to Choji's bed. She was looking at Choji intently as if she was trying to study him. This unnerved him since he was self conscious at being looked at for a long period of time. He nervously picked at his nails and stared at the bed sheet that ended in his lap. Neither said anything. The silence between the two was overpowering.

Choji could hear doctors and nurses rush back and forth to check on their various patients. Choji could hear the clock tick in the corner of his room. Choji could hear the birds chirping even through his closed window. Choji could even hear Ino's soft, steady breathing. But, he didn't register any of it because of the dominant sound that was the beating of his heart.

Choji was having a mini panic attack.

 **What is she doing here? Did she hear what I just admitted? What is she going to say about that? Does she even care? Should she even care? Why would she care? Why isn't she saying something? Should I say something? Do I even deserve to say something? Whatever, I can't stand this anymore.**

"So-", Choji and Ino both said at the same time. Choji looked horrified at the fact that he had interrupted what she was going to say. Ino just laughed at what the two unintentionally did.

It was a clear, bright laugh that rang through the whole room, sending warmth and color into the dull white room. It was an unguarded laugh that didn't care about appearance. It only expressed pure delight. Choji looked up at her and his face melted into a smile, mesmerized by the sound of it.

 **God, I could listen to that all day, every day and not get tired of it.**

"Ladies first", Choji said with a chuckle. His inhibitions got blown away by her laugh.

Ino grinned and rolled her eyes, "Such a gentleman. Anyway, I was gonna ask how the hospital food was, I've heard rumors about it."

Choji looked surprised.

 **Why isn't she lecturing me about my problems like Shikamaru did? Didn't she hear the conversation? I thought it was Choji's roast session.**

He shook his head, "No, I just woke up. I have yet to have the pleasure of eating hospital food."

"Well when you do, enlighten me upon the validity of those rumors."

"I will, but I'm sure it's not that bad."

"Of course you wouldn't think of any food as bad. You are an Akimichi after all. You used to scarf down half of my lunch in seconds"

Choji's eyes widened, "Wait, so that was your lunch?"

Ino cocked her head slightly to the side and her eyebrows scrunched up. Choji thought it looked incredibly cute and he had an urge to either poke her forehead or just kiss it.

 **Wait, what? Kiss? What?**

"You didn't know that was my lunch?"

"Well, I mean, I was pretty sure but, I didn't know for sure. But I was mostly sure and yet a small part of me wasn't totally sure. However, most of me was fairly sure that it was yours." Choji had never thought he had ever stated such an awkward sentence in his life.

 **God, someone kill me now.**

"Yes, well, it was mine. The mystery has been solved." She stated with a giggle. Choji's stomach flopped at the sound. "And I thought the flower sticker would help you solve it right away."

Choji scratched the back of his head. He knew what he wanted to say but was afraid of what Ino would think about it.

 **I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable or make it seem like I'm coming on to her. Is it coming on to a girl if you're only stating the truth? Would she dislike a compliment, even if it was someone from me? Only one way to find out, I guess.**

"Well I just couldn't believe that such a cute girl could possibly even notice someone like me."

Instead of getting angry like Choji expected, Ino blushed at the compliment. Choji didn't notice the blush, but did notice it wasn't a bad response.

"You think I'm cute?"

Choji blushed fiercely while nodding slowly.

"But, wait, what did you mean by 'someone like me'?" Ino asked.

Choji figured that Ino had already heard his earlier conversation and just wanted to bring it up again. He sighed knowing the futility of avoiding the problem, "Exactly what it means. I'm not popular, or smart, or talented. I'm just Choji."

Ino laughed at that. He felt kind of hurt that she was making fun of him when he was opening up thoughts to her that he had told almost no one. Choji looked down and blinked tears out of his eyes.

 **I should have known. I need to really stop getting my hopes up.**

Ino looked horrified, "No. I'm sorry, I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing at you saying that you are 'just Choji'. The phrase in itself is an oxymoron. It'd be like saying I'm 'just the fastest person alive'. Choji, you are a beautiful individual and if I could compare you to any animal I would say you're like a caterpillar."

"A caterpillar?"

"Yeah!" She put her finger on her chin and made a pouty face as if she was thinking deeply. "You're all like awesome on the inside now, but soon everyone will be able to visually see what you've been on the inside all along."

Choji felt his heart squeeze at both the sight of the girl in front of him and the heartfelt words she was saying.

"Really?"

"Yeah! And that's why you shouldn't have been so reckless in trying to change yourself. You're fine just the way you are", she lectured wagging her finger at him. Choji looked away, ashamed.

"But you diet too in order to get Sasuke to notice you", Choji mumbled. He was surprised at how much venom he used when saying Sasuke's name. Choji didn't think that he held ill feelings for anyone, apparently that wasn't the case.

Ino frowned, "That was a phase and my little crush on him was stupid. He's a stuck up prick and I need someone more-", she paused and blushed, looking specifically away from Choji, "kind in my life."

Choji blushed like a tomato. Both individuals in the room were looking at the floor sporting mad blushes. Another awkward silence filled the room, except this one was a lot less uncomfortable. After a while though, Choji wanted to break the silence before it became uncomfortable.

 **Come on just say it. She had a pretty good reception to the last compliment, it might have a good outcome.**

"Well Sasuke is missing out on a beautiful, young lady that is way out of his league. And I'm glad you stopped dieting, I always thought that you looked perfect without that."

Ino smiled, "Why thank you. When you get out, we're gonna have to make sure we go and eat a ton of barbeque. I've been craving for some barbeque for a few days."

 **We?**

"You like barbeque?"

"Of course, just because I used to diet doesn't mean I dislike food." Ino grinned teasingly, "Actually, if I had to bet, I think I could beat you in an eating contest."

Choji joined her in grinning, he had a fire in his eyes, "Those are some bold claims you're making."

Ino had a twinkle in her eye as she said, "What can I say, I'm a bold girl."

Their conversation went on to them talking about their favorite kinds of food and they found out that they both have a hobby of cooking. Their conversation lasted for hours until the sun went down. At that point Ino realized that she had to leave and began to say goodbye.

She put her hand on Choji's hand. Choji loved the contact. It was like an electric shock. A jolt of life that made his senses go on hyperdrive mode. She looked into his eyes. Black eyes into blue. With determination in her eyes she said, "Choji, people care about you, just let them in. Because although you can't see your good traits, we can. And by God, I'll make you see them yourself if it's the last thing I do."

She broke off the contact between the two and went to leave the room. In the door way she turned around. "And Choji"

"Yes?"

"I wouldn't write yourself off on the whole 'never getting a girlfriend' thing yet", she added with a wink. Choji's heart skipped a beat, as she turned and left with a little swing in her hips.

Choji sat there befuddled at the events of the last few hours. He had talked with Ino, _the_ Ino for a long time and she had flirted with him? Were his eyes and ears deceiving him?

Choji was left confused since this was a new experience for him. He wasn't sure how serious her feelings were for him. Heck, he didn't even know how deep his feelings were either. They were only barely even teenagers after all. But, that also meant they would have lots of time to figure that out. And Choji made sure he would do that because he can't let her get away without trying his best. She was a special girl after all. She was like a flower: beautiful and able to brighten your day up in an instant.

He was amazed at what a few hours with Ino could do. She saw him for who he was, not what he looked like. She was so positive that it was contagious. He hadn't thought once of himself as a pig or an eyesore. She was right, maybe she would help him see the good in himself.

 **Although, I'll do the same for her. She's amazing and I will make her realize it if it is the last thing I do. Even if I have to tell her she is beautiful and special and amazing everyday for the rest of our lives.**

And he did. The butterfly would fall in love with the flower. And the flower would fall in love with the butterfly.

Finish

A/N: Just wrote this for two reasons: 1. Bad case of writer's block for my other story (I haven't forgotten about it, just been a crazy month) and 2. There are days when I feel like the Choji in this story (although I was never bullied) and I just needed to channel those feelings. So this was created. Hope you liked it. Would love any criticism, good or bad (I know I suck at writing). And have a good day.


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